H.R. 7325 — Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2026

This section establishes in the legislative branch the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States, to terminate six years after the date of enactment. The Commission consists of five members appointed not later than 180 days after enactment as follows: (1) one by the Senate majority leader, in consultation with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs chairperson; (2) one by the Senate minority leader, in consultation with that committee's vice chairperson; (3) one by the Speaker of the House, in consultation with the House Committee on Natural Resources chair; (4) one by the House minority leader, in consultation with that committee's ranking member; and (5) one jointly by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs chairperson and vice chairperson. Nominations are submitted by Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Americans, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Native Hawaiian organizations to the Secretary of the Interior not later than 90 days after enactment, with the list transmitted to Congress not later than seven days thereafter; nominees must have expertise in specified areas such as Tribal research, indigenous human rights, restorative justice, trauma-informed care, or Native cultural practices, plus demonstrated integrity and commitment to truth, reconciliation, and healing. Members serve for the shorter of six years or the Commission's life, receive compensation at the daily equivalent of GS-5 basic pay (up to 10 days per month), and may not be federal officers or employees. Vacancies after the initial meeting are filled within 90 days in the same manner as original appointments; a quorum of members may remove another for neglect of duty or malfeasance. The Commission holds an initial business meeting 90 days after all members are appointed to select a chairperson and vice chairperson, adopt rules, and appoint specified subcommittees and advisory committees; subsequent meetings occur at the chairperson's call with nonvoting designees from those bodies, require a simple majority quorum, and may be in-person or virtual. The Commission may adopt additional rules by majority vote.

This section directs the Commission to conduct a comprehensive interdisciplinary investigation of Indian Boarding School Policies (i.e., historical federal policies that removed Native American children from families for assimilation in off-reservation boarding schools) and their social, cultural, economic, emotional, and physical effects on Native American communities, tribes, survivors, families, and descendants. The investigation must include (1) reviewing existing research and records from all archives, private entities, religious institutions, and non-federal sources; (2) collaborating with advisory committees, federal agencies, religious institutions, tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and others to obtain relevant information; and (3) assessing impacts on students, alumni, cultures, traditions, and languages. The section authorizes the Commission, without using federal funds for purchases, to contract for acquiring, holding, or curating artifacts or property identified in the research until repatriated consistent with federal law. This section further requires the Commission to hold safe, trauma-informed public or private meetings, with advice from advisory committees and coordination with tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, to receive testimony, ensuring access to trauma-informed care services for participants. This section directs the Commission to make recommendations to Congress on (1) federal acknowledgment of its role in the policies, including memorialization and record preservation under tribal and Native Hawaiian law; (2) modifications to statutes, regulations, policies, and budgets to address ongoing effects; (3) promoting public awareness and education, including via coordination with advisory committees and the Smithsonian Institution; and (4) views of religious institutions. This section requires the Commission to coordinate with advisory committees, tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, federal agencies, and others to (1) culturally appropriately locate and identify marked and unmarked burial sites (including cemeteries and mass graves) associated with Indian Boarding Schools and (2) locate, document, analyze, and preserve records of student interments held by federal, state, international, or other entities.

This section establishes the Survivors Truth and Healing Subcommittee of the Commission, consisting of 15 members appointed by the Commission from nominees submitted by Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Americans, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Native Hawaiian organizations, including (1) 12 representatives from Bureau of Indian Affairs regions and 1 from Hawai‘i; (2) 9 individuals who attended Indian boarding schools (at least 2 graduates from the prior 5 years of an operating Indian boarding school or Bureau of Indian Education-funded school, representing diverse regions); (3) 5 descendants of Indian boarding school attendees from diverse regions; and (4) 1 educator employed at an Indian boarding school currently or within the prior 5 years. No member may be a federal officer or employee. The Commission appoints all members at its initial meeting, with fallback appointment by the Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (with Vice Chair concurrence) within 30 days if vacancies remain; members serve automatically renewable two-year terms, with vacancies filled within 90 days and removal only by Commission quorum for neglect of duty or malfeasance; and the subcommittee terminates 90 days after the Commission's final report. The subcommittee holds an initial meeting within 30 days of full appointment to select a chairperson (also serving as Federal and Religious Truth and Healing Advisory Committee vice chairperson), vice chairperson (also Native American Truth and Healing Advisory Committee vice chairperson), other officers, 3 designees for specified Commission duties, and 2 nonvoting designees to the Commission; holds subsequent meetings at the chairperson's call (in-person or virtual); requires a simple majority quorum; and adopts rules by majority vote with Commission advice.

This section establishes the Native American Truth and Healing Advisory Committee as an advisory body to the Commission. The committee consists of 19 members appointed by the Commission from nominations submitted to the Secretary of the Interior by Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Native Americans, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Native Hawaiian organizations within 90 days of enactment: (1) the Commission's Vice Chairperson (as committee Chairperson); (2) the Survivors Truth and Healing Subcommittee's Vice Chairperson (as committee Vice Chairperson); (3) the Secretary of the Interior or designee (as committee Secretary); (4) 12 representatives from Bureau of Indian Affairs regions and 1 from Hawai‘i; (5) 1 from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition; (6) 1 from the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers; and (7) 1 from the National Indian Education Association, with at least 2 having experience in health care, mental health, traditional healing, counseling, or working with Indian boarding school survivors or descendants. Appointments occur at the Commission's initial meeting, with fallback appointment by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chair (with Vice Chair concurrence) within 30 days if needed; terms are 2 years (automatically renewable), with vacancies filled within 90 days; the committee terminates 90 days after the Commission's final report; and no member (except the Secretary of the Interior representative) may be a federal officer or employee. The committee holds an initial meeting within 30 days of full appointment to adopt rules, appoint designees for Commission duties, and select 2 non-voting Commission designees; subsequent meetings occur at the Chairperson's call (in-person or virtual) with a simple majority quorum required; a quorum may remove members for neglect of duty or malfeasance; and rules are adopted by majority vote with Commission advice.

This section establishes within the Department of the Interior the Federal and Religious Truth and Healing Advisory Committee, comprising 20 members including the chairpersons of the Commission and Survivors Truth and Healing Subcommittee (serving as committee chair and vice chair, respectively), the White House Domestic Policy Advisor (as secretary), designees from 14 specified federal positions or offices (e.g., Director of the Bureau of Indian Education, Director of the Indian Health Service), and 3 representatives from religious institutions appointed by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Committee members serve automatically renewable 2-year terms, with vacancies filled within 90 days and removal permitted by quorum only for neglect of duty or malfeasance; the committee terminates 90 days after the Commission's final report under section 111(e)(3). The committee must hold an initial meeting within 30 days of the Commission's first meeting to adopt rules and appoint 2 nonvoting designees to the Commission; subsequent meetings occur at the chair's call, in person or virtually, with a simple majority quorum. The committee may adopt additional rules by majority vote and must (1) coordinate federal agencies and religious institutions to advance the Act's purposes; (2) assist the Commission and Native American Truth and Healing Advisory Committee in convenings and information collection, organization, and preservation; (3) submit required materials to the Commission; and (4) coordinate with specified entities to implement the Act.